Plain Changes

Plain Changes creatively responds to the bell peel of St. Andrews in Heckington, a church in Lincolnshire, UK. Eight handbells are mechanically stimulated by electronic solenoids controlled using custom-made computer software. The sequences played are based on the patterns used in traditional change ringing, the piece plays every combination possible with 8 bells and then repeats. In total there are 40320 possibilities. The software also adjusts the tempo so that changes ring at speeds which are physically impossible with real church bells. Plain Changes allowed us to explore the aesthetic character of change ringing through contemporary technology.